Acoustic apparatus.



E. A. HAWTHORNE.

ACOUSTlC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-30:1Q13: 1 198 844 Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

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E. A. HAWTHORNE.

ACOUSTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION mm ml. 30. 1913.

1,198,844. PatentedSept.19,1916.

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ELLSWORTH .A. HAVTHORNE, F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT ACOUSTIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed January 30, 1913. Serial N 0. 745,062.

1/ b all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, Ennswonrn A. Hawrnonxn, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Acoustic Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,

' is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to acoustic apparatus, and more especially to mechanically driven horns of that general type in which a rapidly drivenbody is caused to vibrate the sounding means to produce a warning signal, the apparatus being particularly useful for motor vehicles.

My invention will. be best understood by reference to the following specification, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of two embodiments thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :-I ,igure l is an elevation, partly in section, 0 f one form of acoustic apparatus embodying my invention, as applied, to a motor vehicle, a portion of the latter being shown convcntionally; Fig. 2

' is a central longitudinal section, partly in 30 elevation, of the sound amplifier, and the sound producing devices therein; Fig. 8 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2, as viewed from the mouth of the sound amplifier; Fig. 4c is a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of another form of acoustic apparatus embodying "my invention; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking toward the left.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, whercin I have shown one illustrative embodiment of my invention, 6 is a suitable casing forming a sound chamber 7, said casing be ing in the form of a sound amplifier having a mouth, or sound delivering opening 8. Within the sound chamber 7, there is provided a plurality" of cotiperating sets of sounding elements and striking elements. In the present instance, the soundin eiements-are in the form ofvibratory e astic reeds, or the like, 9, and the strlking eleentsare in the form of teeth 10. Whlle the striking elementsand soundlng elements may be otherwisesuitably arranged, herein the sounding elements are secured to a shaft 1,;and disposed at difierent' points along the latter, while the corresponding cooperating teeth 10 are secured to the internal wall of the amplifier in any suitable manner, as for example by means of attaching strips 1 2, herein having a right-angle, cross-sectional form. In this form of my invention, the sounding elements and striking elements are arranged in several sets, each set including a plurality of striking :elements, herein four, and a plurality of sounding elements, herein four (see Fig. 3). The sounding elements of the set nearest the mouth of the amplifier are of the greatest length, the next set is somewhat shorter, and so on toward the small end of the amplifier, and consequently, the sounding elements of each set have a different sound characteristic from i the other sets, because of such dilference in length, and when sounded, will produce sounds of different pitches. iHerein, the shaft 11 is mounted in suitable bearin s 13 and 14, spider l5.

Any suitable means may be provided relatively to rotate the shaft 11 and amplifier 6, to cause the striking elements successively to engage their cotiperating sounding elements in rapid succession, thereby to sound the sounding elements. Herein, the amplifier 6 is fixed, while the shaft 11 is rotated at high speed, although this arrangement the latter being supported y a.

might obviously be reversed. The shaft 11 is herein driven from a power shaft 16 of a motor vehicle, the latter being designated generally by the numeral 17. While any other suitable means may be provided for.

utilizing the rotative movement of the power shaft at will to drive the shaft 11, the latter is herein provided with a pulley 18 connected by a belt 19 to a pulley 20 on the shaft 16, and the latter is provided with a suitable friction clutch, comprising two clutch members 21 and 22. The latter may be shifted into and out of engagement with its cooperating member by suitable means, as for example a clutch-shifting lever 23 of common form, operated by a. footbutton 24., there being provided a suitable spring 25, normally to retain the clutch members disengaged.

By simply pressing the foot button 24,

the clutch may be engaged thereby to cause the shaft ll'to be driven at high speed, thus causing the successive engagement of the several sets of sounding dev1ces 9 with their coiiperating striking devices 10. The character of the sound produced may, of course, be varied by suitably varying the shape or length of the sounding devices, or the material of which they are .composed.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, wherein I have shown another illustrative embodiment of my invention, 26 is a casing forming a sound chamber having a sounddelivering opening 28, and in connection therewith, there may be employed a suitable sound amplifier 29,- having a mouth 30. Vlithin the casing 26, I provide a plurality of sets i sounding'devices 31, which may be similar to those hereinbefore described, and may be secured to the casing 26 by suitable attaching strips 32. Herein the sounding devices of each set differ in length from those of the other sets (see Fig. 4)

While any other suitable means may be utilized to sound the sounding devices, I have herein provided a plurality of sets of striking elements 33, each set cooperating with one of the .sets of sounding devices, the striking devices of course being of various lengths, corresponding reversely to the lengths oil the sounding devices, so as to cobperate with the latter. Herein, the striking devices are in the form of pins, secured to the periphery of a rotary body a, the latter in the present instance constituting the (ins ing and field 34; of an electric motor. The. ,inotor, which for the sake of simplicity in and insulated from the metallic casing formin the field 34: and the latter is rovided externally w th two collector rings 40 and 4:1, electrically connected to said brushes.

. A vfield winding 12 has one lead l3 connected to the brush 39, and another lead 44 con- .nected to the collector ring d0.

Two fixed. brushes 4:5 and i6 bearing againstthe collector rings 40 and 41, respectively, are mounted in and insulated from' the casing 26, and are connected in circuit with a suitable source of current,

herein exemplified by a battery l7, shown conventionally. A switch 48 also shown in a conventional manner, may be employed to make and break the circuit, thereby to start and stop the motor. When the motor is running,,the pins 33' carried. thereby travel at a high rate of speed, and successively enthe sounding devices 31, thereby producing sound varying in pitch and quality,

according to the character of the sounding devices, sound waves paming out through the opening 28 into the amplifier 29, and being amplified by the latter.

While I have herein shown and described two forms of my invention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the arrangement incidental to two specific applications thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangements of parts, nor to its specific cmbodiments herein shown, but that extensive deviations from the illustrative forms orembodiments of the invention may be made, without departing from the principles thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is 1. An acoustic apparatus comprising, in coi'nbination, a horn having a sound chain ber provided with dii'erging walls, a plurality of vibratory means in said chamber, striking means, one of said means being attached to the inner surface of said d verging walls, and means relatively to actuate said strikin means and vibratory means to sound the latter in succession.

2. An acoustic apparatus comprising a hollow resonant body having therein a sound chamber, a plurality of vibratory elements in said chamber, a rotatable body by which said elements are carried, and a plurality of strikers secured to the inner surface of said body andadapted to coiiperate with said vibratory elements to sound the latter.

3. An acoustic apparatus comprising a sound chamber, a plurality of coplanar sets of vibratory elements of various lengths, the elements ojthe several sets disposed in vari ous radial positions about an axis within said chamber, striking means, and means relatively-t0 rotate said striking means and vibratory elements to cause said striking means to strike said vibratory elements in the several sets in rapid succession.

4. An acoustic apparatus comprising a plurality of sets of vibratory elements, a plurality of sets of striking elements, means relatively to actuate said striking elements and vibratory elements to cause the engagement f the striking elements of each set with the vibratory elements of the cooperating set in succession thereby to sound said vibratory elements, and amplifying means associated with said vibratory elements.

5. An acoustic apparatus comprising a sound chamber, a plurality of vibratory elements having different sound characteristics disposed in a progressive arrangement in various radial positions and indifferent planes about an axis within said chamber, striking means, and means relatively to ac tuate said striking means and vibratory elements to cause the latter to besounded in succession, and means for amplifying the sound so produced. 4

6. An acoustic. apparatus comprising a tapered sound amplifying chamber, abody within said chamber, a plurality of eoiipe'rating sets of striking elements and sounding elements secured to said body and the internalwall of said chamber, respectively,

the set which is secured to said body 'hava ing elements of progressively increasing striking ing sides, a plurality of cooperating sets of elements and sounding elements within said chamber and between-said sides, one of said sets having elements of progressively. increasing length corresponding to thedivergence of said sides, and means to impart a rapid relative motion to said strikmg elements and sounding elements thereby cause said striking elements to cooperate with said sounding elements to sound the latter in a continuous succession.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLSWORTH A. HAWTHORNE.

Witnesses:

DUDLEY M. MORRIS, E. HORACE HAWTHORNE. 

